UN General Assembly demands Israel ends occupation of Palestinian territories

The UN General Assembly has adopted a Palestinian-drafted, non-binding resolution demanding Israel end "its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within 12 months.

There were 124 votes in favor and 14 against, including Israel, along with 43 abstentions. As a non-member observer state, Palestine could not vote.

The resolution is based on a July advisory opinion from the UN's highest court that said Israel was occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip against international law.

The Palestinian ambassador called the vote a turning point “in our struggle for freedom and justice”. But his Israeli counterpart denounced it as “diplomatic terrorism”.

Although the General Assembly’s resolutions are not binding, they carry symbolic and political weight given they reflect the positions of all 193 member states of the UN.

It comes after almost a year of war in Gaza, which began when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on October 07, 2024, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others as hostages.

More than 41,110 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

There has also been a spike in violence in the West Bank over the same period, in which the UN says more than 680 Palestinians and 22 Israelis have been killed.

The advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - which was also not legally binding - said a 15-judge panel had found that "Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful” and that the country was “under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence... as rapidly as possible”.

The court also said Israel should “evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and “make reparation for the damage caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned”.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967.

The court said the settlements “have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law”, which Israel has consistently disputed.

Israel's prime minister said at the time that the court had made a "decision of lies" and insisted that “the Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land”.

Wednesday’s General Assembly resolution welcomed the ICJ’s declaration. It demands that Israel “brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory... and do so no later than 12 months”, and “comply without delay with all its legal obligations under international law”.

The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry described its passing as a “pivotal and historic moment for the Palestinian cause and international law”.

The support of almost two-thirds of UN member states reflected “a global consensus that the occupation must end and its crimes must cease”, and that it “reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination”.

Israel’s foreign ministry called the resolution “a distorted decision that is disconnected from reality, encourages terrorism and harms the chances for peace”, adding, “This is what cynical international politics looks like.”

It said the resolution “bolsters and strengthens the Hamas terrorist organization” and “sends a message that terrorism pays off and yields international resolutions”.

It also accused the Palestinian Authority of “conducting a campaign whose goal is not to resolve the conflict but to harm Israel” and vowed to respond.

The US, which voted against the resolution, warned beforehand that the text was “one-sided” and “selectively interprets the substance of the ICJ’s opinion”.

“There is no path forward or hope offered through this resolution today. Its adoption will not save Palestinian lives, bring the hostages home, end Israeli settlements, or reinvigorate the peace process,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

The UK’s ambassador, Barbara Woodward, explained that it had abstained “not because we do not support the central findings of the ICJ's advisory opinion, but rather because the resolution does not provide sufficient clarity to effectively advance our shared aim of a peace premised on a negotiated two-state solution”.

UNGA upgrades Palestinian statehood status

According to Reuters, the United Nations General Assembly voted 143-9 to upgrade the Palestinian's status as a non-member observer state, granting it all but voting rights with regard to all activities related to its plenum.

Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Papa New Guinea, Palau, and the United States opposed the resolution.

Among those countries that supported the text were many European Union members, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

Australia also supported the resolution, while Canada, Great Britain, and Ukraine abstained.

There are already some 143 countries that recognize Palestine as a state. 

The UNGA vote, which is mostly symbolic, is viewed as an international referendum in support of unilateral Palestinian statehood.

Many Western and European countries have believed that full Palestinian statehood recognition and Palestinian UN membership should come at the end of a final status agreement that tends to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In light of Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel on October 07, 2023 that sparked the Gaza War, a number of Western countries have reconsidered their position.

Israel immediately attacked the decision, as a prize for terrorism, given that it comes in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 07 attack, which sparked the Gaza war.

It also warned that such a step would harm negotiation for the release of the remaining 132 hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza.

“The message that the UN is sending to our suffering region: violence pays off,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

“The decision to upgrade the status of Palestinians in the UN is a prize for Hamas terrorists after they committed the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and perpetrated the most heinous sexual crimes the world has seen,” it stated. 

“The decision also provides a tailwind to Hamas amid negotiations for the release of the 132 hostages and humanitarian relief, further complicating the prospects for a deal,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated.

“Israel seeks peace, and peace will only be achieved through direct negotiation between the parties,” the Foreign Ministry said, as it thanked those countries that opposed the resolution, explaining that they stood “on the right side of history and morality.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on X that, “The political theater of the United Nations made an artificial, distorted and disconnected decision.”

"We want peace, we want freedom," Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the assembly before the vote. "A yes vote is a vote for Palestinian existence, it is not against any state. ... It is an investment in peace."

"Voting yes is the right thing to do," he said in remarks that drew applause.

Under the founding UN Charter, membership is open to "peace-loving states" that accept the obligations in that document and are able and willing to carry them out.

"As long as so many of you are 'Jew-hating,' you don't really care that the Palestinians are not 'peace-loving'," UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, who spoke after Mansour, told his fellow diplomats. He accused the assembly of shredding the UN Charter - as he used a small shredder to destroy a copy of the Charter while at the lectern.

"Shame on you," Erdan said.

Deputy US Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood told the General Assembly after the vote that unilateral measures at the UN and on the ground will not advance a two-state solution.

"Our vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood; we have been very clear that we support it and seek to advance it meaningfully. Instead, it is an acknowledgment that statehood will only come from a process that involves direct negotiations between the parties," he said.

The resolution affirmed that “Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations in accordance with article 4 of the Charter and should therefore be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”

The resolution affirmed “the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine.”

It called on the UN Security Council to grant the Palestinians membership in the UN. The approval of the 15-member UNSC is a necessary state for UN membership.

The Palestinians with the help of the United Arab Emirates, which authored Friday’s resolution, turned the UNGA after the United States used its veto power in the UNSC to block Palestinain UN membership.

None of the UN member states have veto power in the UNGA where the Palestinians have an automatic majority.

In 2012 the UNGA granted the Palestinians all the rights of a non-member observer state, in a vote that was approved 138-9. At the time Argentina supported the measure, while Canada opposed it.

 

 

 

Pakistan: Prime Minister’s UN trip ends without big meetings

According to Dawn, a leading English newspaper from Pakistan, after the culmination of his five-day visit to the UN headquarters in New York, interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar headed to London on Saturday, amid speculations that he might have a ‘secret rendezvous’ with PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif in the British capital.

At a news conference on Friday evening in New York, Kakar indicated that he was returning home to work with the Election Commission and let the new government take charge of long-term relations, such as negotiating new terms with the IMF.

He did not respond when asked about a possible meeting with Nawaz Sharif. In response to a question about Sharif’s return to Pakistan in October, he said the former premier would be treated under the laws of Pakistan.

Kakar also did not respond to a question if he would visit Saudi Arabia on his way back to Islamabad.

Official sources said Kakar stopped over in Paris on his way to New York and visited the Eiffel Tower with his family. He also spent some quiet time with his family and friends in New York and was seen dining at a Turkish restaurant on Thursday night.

He did have a busy official schedule though, meeting global leaders. The list included Turkish President Recep Erdogan as well, but the meeting did not take place for some reason. He also did not have a separate meeting with the official US delegation.

According to the interim premier, he met business bodies in the US that showed interest in the economic revival plans of Pakistan through privatization and the Special Investment Facilitation Council.

The visit by an interim ruler was supposed to be a low-key affair but assumed greater importance when Canada publicly accused India of killing a Sikh leader on its soil.

Kakar responded promptly to the developing situation, terming it “a first-of-its-kind event after World War I”.

“An Asian country staging a murder on Canadian soil! Its impacts are felt across the Western countries who now realise how India is persecuting its minorities,” he said.

When a journalist objected to his using “genocide’ to describe the persecution of minorities in India, he said, “Genocide is a suitable word, not to call it a genocide will be a crime.”

“…no other word can describe what the Kashmiris are facing. While they are being killed and raped, I cannot sit here and wonder if the word genocide may hurt someone’s feelings.”

He called for the formation of an international alliance to keep in check India’s “rough behaviour” including the attacks it sponsored inside Pakistan.

Kakar said, he had a detailed meeting with IMF officials at the UN headquarters. “The IMF was very appreciative of the interim government’s steps over illegal trade of dollars,” he said, adding, “IMF did not demand anything, rather the caretaker government was giving them confidence and [it] would abide by the agreements.”

Shedding light on Pakistan-US relations, Kakar said Pakistan had an exclusive identity and it should be seen through “regional or extra-regional prisms.”

 

Global landscape undergoing paradigm shift, says Raisi

Speaking at the annual debate of the UN General Assembly in New York, Iran’s President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi discussed the emergence of non-Western powers, encouraged regional economic and security partnerships, and lamented the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The world is reaching a critical junction point as an emerging order of non-Western states looks to pursue closer economic and political ties with one another, according to Raisi.

“The global landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift towards an emerging international order, a trajectory that is not reversible,” he said.

“As non-Western powers have emerged, there is a collective hope for a novel and equitable world order. The Islamic Republic of Iran advocates maximum economic and political convergence and is interested in interacting with the global community under the principle of justice.”

Through mutual political trust, economic cooperation, and indigenous security measures the goals of regional partners can be achieved more easily, said Raisi.

Holding up the Qur’an, he said “The holy book beckons humanity towards rationality, spirituality, the truth and justice. It expounds upon the unity of mankind proclaiming all earthly inhabitants it seeks to guide all towards human dignity... and speaks of equality among humans.”

Raisi emphasized the need for regional stability, noting the security of neighboring countries directly implicated the security of Iran.

He also criticized Western powers for what he claimed was an overt attempt to undermine stability in the region, claiming that Western intelligence agencies were moving terrorists across the region in a much targeted fashion.

“The surgical use of terrorists by certain Western governments as a political tool will be overcome by the collective will of the people of the region,” he said.

“Iran, who herself has been the biggest target of terrorists, has been at the forefront of combating terrorism in the region,” he added.

Iran additionally accused the United States of meddling in neighboring states, and drew attention to the situation in Afghanistan to highlight the humanitarian impact of Western military intervention on regional affairs.

“An independent and robust neighborhood presents an opportunity for the entire region. We will welcome any extended hand quite warmly.

Raisi lamented Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, labeling it a negation of the inherent rights of Palestinians.

He also emphasized the need to recognize Palestinian statehood and withdraw Israeli troops and settlements from the region.

“The people of the region see Iran as a secure partner for their own security and the occupying regime in Jerusalem is seen as the perpetrator of much of the violence in the region,” he said.

“Has the time not come to bring an end to seven and a half decades to the occupation of Palestinian lands, of the demolition of their homes, of the blood of their women and children, and for the people of Palestine to be recognized officially as a country?”

UN suspends Russia from human rights body over Ukraine

The UN General Assembly has suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over reports of gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights by invading Russian troops in Ukraine. 

It may be recalled that UNHRC had recently approved four anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian resolutions, including a call for a limited arms embargo against the Jewish state, as it wrapped up its 49th session. One may say is a tit for tat by the group of countries living under the US hegemony.

The US-led push garnered 93 votes in favor, while 24 countries voted no and 58 countries abstained. A two-thirds majority of voting members in the 193-member General Assembly in New York - abstentions do not count - was needed to suspend Russia from the 47-member Geneva-based Human Rights Council.

Suspensions are rare. Libya was suspended in 2011 because of violence against protesters by forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi.

It was the third resolution adopted by the 193-member General Assembly since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on February 24. The two previous General Assembly resolutions denouncing Russia were adopted with 141 and 140 votes in favor.

The resolution adopted on Thursday expresses "grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine," particularly at reports of rights abuses by Russia.

Russia says it is carrying out a "special military operation" that aims to destroy Ukraine's military infrastructure and denies attacking civilians. Ukraine and allies say Moscow invaded without provocation.

Russia had warned countries that a yes vote or abstention will be viewed as an "unfriendly gesture" with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters.

Russia was in its second year of a three-year term on the Geneva-based council, which cannot make legally binding decisions. Its decisions send important political messages, however, and it can authorize investigations.

Moscow is one of the most vocal members on the council and its suspension bars it from speaking and voting, officials say, although its diplomats could still attend debates. "They would probably still try to influence the Council through proxies," said a Geneva-based diplomat.

Last month the council opened an investigation into allegations of rights violations, including possible war crimes, in Ukraine since Russia's attack.

Speaking before the vote, Ukraine's UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said a yes vote would "save the Human Rights Council and many lives around the world and in Ukraine," but a no vote was "pulling a trigger, and means a red dot on the screen - red as the blood of the innocent lives lost."

The United States announced it would seek Russia's suspension after Ukraine accused Russian troops of killing hundreds of civilians in the town of Bucha.

Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Gennady Kuzmin said now was not the time for "theatrical performances" and accused Western countries and allies of trying to "destroy existing human rights architecture."

"We reject the untruthful allegations against us based on staged events and widely circulated fakes," Kuzmin told the General Assembly before the vote, defending Russia's record as a Human Rights Council member.

After abstaining on the previous two General Assembly votes, Russia's partner China opposed the resolution Thursday.

"Such a hasty move at the General Assembly, which forces countries to choose sides will aggravate the division among member states, intensify the confrontation between the parties concerned - it is like adding fuel to the fire," China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said before the vote.

 

It may be recalled that UNHRC had recently approved four anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian resolutions, including a call for a limited arms embargo against the Jewish state, as it wrapped up its 49th session. One may say is a tit for tat by the group of countries living under the US hegemony.